What’s the best recumbent exercise bike?
For some people a recumbent exercise bike is preferable to an upright one, whether that is for practical reasons – because it’s kinder to joints, or you’re recovering from injury – or just because you prefer it and find it more comfortable (and easier to watch tv!). Here we look at contenders for the best recumbent exercise bike for your needs in different price ranges.
You can read more about the pros and cons of different types of exercise bike here.
Of course, there is no single best recumbent exercise bike as such. What’s best for you depends on a number of factors, including (but not limited to):
PRICE: What’s your budget?
SPACE: How much space do you have? How much space does the machine take up? Will in remain in place permanently or do you need one which will fold up?
MAX USER WEIGHT: Notwithstanding the limits of your budget, if you’re on the heavy side (and want one to help you lose some weight), it will need to be sturdy enough to take your weight safely. Each machine has a Max. User weight recommendation.
FEATURES: Most decent machines have the same basics but, of course, the more expensive machines have a few more. Some things to look for are:
- Flywheel weight (heavier is better)
- Number of resistance levels
- Console readout features
- Maximum User Weight
So here are some of the best-selling machines on Amazon in different price ranges.
Recumbent Exercise Bikes under £200
Sunny Health & Fitness Magnetic Recumbent Bike Exercise Bike – RB4616
This extremely popular and highly rated machine has a high maximum weight of 136 Kg / 300lbs / 21st 6lb.
The seat position is adjustable while seated and the range of heights is from approx. 5’6″ (1.6m) to around 6’6″ but this would depend on leg length.
The figures quote min to max Inseam as 73.6cm/30″0 to 96.5cm / 38″
The minimum distance from the seat to pedal is 47cm
The maximum distance from the seat to the pedal is 64 cm.
Advantages over Sunny H&F cheaper models include:
- Heavier, 6Kg flywheel
- 3-piece detachable crank
- Self-levelling pedals with straps
- 8 levels of magnetic resistance
No products found.
Mid-Price Recumbent Exercise Bikes
JLL® Home Recumbent Exercise Bike RE200
JLL call this their elite performance model. Belt driven, with magnetic resistance makes it quiet and smooth, aided by an 11lb (5Kg) bi-directional flywheel.
The padded seat is wide and comfortable, more important on recumbent bikes where more of your weight is on the seat.
The seat and the pedals are adjustable to suit your size.
The front handlebars are also comfortable thanks to foam grips which are sweat resistant, while the stationary handrails next to the seat have pulse-rate sensors built in.
The easy to read and use monitor displays time, speed, distance calorie usage, odometer and pulse rate, with an additional scan mode showing each in turn and, if you don’t want to watch the stats, there’s a slot at the bottom for your tablet to watch a video or whatever.
Like all JLL equipment, it is well-made and reliable.
No products found.
EXERPEUTIC Gold 575 XLS Folding Exercise Bike
It is claimed to be usable for people between 5’2″ and 6’5″.
The semi-recumbent design should therefore accommodate the vast majority of potential users of different weights and sizes.
In spite of this it folds to almost half its working dimensions for storage.
The features of the Gold 575 XLS are nothing special but it does have the usual array as follows:
- 8 levels magnetic resistance
- LCD display reading:
- Heart Rate
- Speed
- Calories Burned
- Time
- Distance
Other:
- Max ht: 48in
- Min ht: 68.5in
- Dimensions in use: 48.5″ x 24″ x 46″;
- Item weight: 54.7 lbs / 24.85Kg
- Folded: 27″L x 18″W x 48″H
No products found.
Marcy Magnetic Recumbent Bike – NS-716R
The Marcy Recumbent Bike – NS-716R has a decent max user weight of 136Kg / 21st 6lbs and the usual 8 level magnetic resistance and an LCD panel tracking:
- speed
- distance
- time
- calories burned
No products found.
Recumbent Exercise Bikes under £600
JLL RE600 Pro Recumbent Bike
Now we start getting into the range of a few more bells and whistles as well as being a sturdy and reliable machine from a well-respected company.
For the RE600 Pro (see RE100 & RE 200 above), you get, not 8, but 32 levels of electro-magnetic resistance, and 12 Workout programs. You can also assign up to 4 user profiles
The 5.5in LCD Monitor displays 9 functions:
- Time (in mins and seconds)
- Distance in Km
- Speed (in Kph)
- Heart-rate (via built-in hand sensors)
- Body Fat (%)
- Recovery Heart-rate
- RPM
- Power in Watts
- Calories used.
In additon, the RE600 Pro is compatible with iConsole and Kinomap and you can connect your tablet, smart phone or smart watch to the RE600 Pro’s monitor
Dimensions
147.5cm (L) x 66cm (W) x 130cm (H)
58 x 26 x 51 in
Max user weight: 135Kg/300lbs
Assembly videos are available.
There is a 12 month warranty
No products found.
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Last update on 2024-11-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API